30kisses: Deserted Hearts
by Kanashimi Angel
Summary: I never bled but I was forced to see others bleed. Blood,I heard someone say,is gruesome. Blood can be fascinating. And those who fear it are just stupid.What do they fear,in reality?The thing that keeps their hearts beatingthe thing that keeps them alive
1. First time I ever saw you

**Title: **First time I ever saw you…

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Author: **Kanashimi Angel

**Theme: **#26 – If only I could make you mine

**Pairing: **Sabaku no Gaara x Matsuri

**Rating:** K+

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or its characters. Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

**Summary: **That was her wish, for him to be there for her when she'd have her first kiss. That was his wish, for someone, for her, to be there for him, to hold him, to love him.

**So. That's my first kiss…My first attempt EVER to write a kiss. So, here we are. Gaara x Matsuri. This is also my gift to my friend Jared, (Joe-Ashaman on today, on the 23rd of August for his birthday. Enjoy! **

_"First time I ever saw you, I was dead frightened to even ask someone your name. I was so little and already hurt, but towards you, I was like everyone else. I was afraid of you, no... Now that I know you, or at least I think I know you, I can tell that it was the rumor that foretold you that I was afraid of. I hadn't even talked to you, just seen you. _

_And it happened that I firstly saw you in one of your not-so-good mood days. And you scared me. I couldn't believe how a child as sweet as you could say the things you said, could do the things you did. Maybe I didn't want to believe it. And maybe that's what gave birth to my curiosity to meet and get to know you. _

_In the following years, though, you'd become more and more distant from everyone. And it was even more difficult for me to reach you. Then your father died as well. After that, you barely spoke. _

_I guess you were in a better state than me, though. Even though you said you never felt them like family, and only rarely talked to them, you still have your siblings. Kankurou-san and Temari-san. What did I have? Just my empty hands. If you needed it, you would get a warm embrace and a good word, but who did I have to do this for me? I didn't even have a house, some place to stay. I was…I have nothing. The only things that I possess? My ninja bag. My weapons. My clothes. And for all those fifteen years, I've been sleeping on the road. In unbearable heat or the rare awfully cold days, uncaring of the dangers that crept behind. _

_I know why nothing happened. I know why I never got hurt or anything, because I was meant to meet you. In those years, my curiosity had turned into this feeling that I don't know how to name. This feeling that I felt for the first time. I wanted to be like you, perfect; untouchable. That's why I chose you to be my teacher, you, of all three of the Third's children, I chose you. Not only because you were the strongest, in my opinion, but because I still wanted to get to know you, and this time, I wanted you for myself. And somehow, I was glad that no one else wanted to be your student. …Even when I was kidnapped…I was afraid of what would happen to me, yes, but when I heard what the ones who took me said, I felt…was Iimportant to someone? It was me they were talking about? Me, the useless girl? Me, the one to wander around pointlessly, everyday, barely being able to find myself something to eat…The girl that her life was like what her name meant, matsuri, a festival. _

_To this day I can't forget how you rushed to save me from their hands. What was the thing to motivate you? What was I? Was I really so important to you? Who to thank first if I am? If you really care, if you really think of me as an important person? I…I understood that this warmfeeling that consumed my heart was something no one had been there to teach me…Was something your life also had really a lack of. But since you changed, you truly get it now. They show it to you. Your family, your friends. I don't have either of them, so I couldn't know how this felt, until I met you again. _

_I understood that I love you. I've loved you, always loved you, in my own weird, secret and shy way. I want to know that I am no more alone, that I can get this feeling in me as well, I want to know to know that there is someone out there who loves me as well. _

_If you really are that someone, Gaara-sensei…Just…Please, please, just tell me. I am tired of living; of being alone. I want to be loved…Because you now are, Gaara-sensei. You really are loved. And even if you still don't accept the love of your siblings, please just accept mine…I…I want you to know that I love you. _

_Honestly, I don't really expect to achieve anything with this _

_I just felt like writing it _

_Matsuri" _

Gaara looked at the paper in his hands once again. The words were dancing in front of his eyes, he needed his time to concentrate after what he had just read. He never thought Matsuri felt like that. But…The letter explained everything. Now he could get why she still wanted to be his student, even after she was kidnapped for his sake, even after all those years.

"Temari." He spoke, his voice never changing

"What is it?" his older sister replied, her smile wide as always.

"Can you two keep an eye on things today?"

The cup in Temari's hands trembled and threatened to fall, but it didn't. His sister was surprised, for sure, but…

"S…Sure." She murmured, "If you've got something else to do…"

"I do. Thanks."

Gaara whispered and left the room, the paper still tight held in his fingers.

This time, Temari really dropped the cup. Gaara said "thanks"?

-- --

Gaara walked in the misty morning. Suna's weather had once again become strange, a sign of winter coming. It was early in the morning, yes, but it was pretty cold for the beginning of winter. And the strangest thing of all? He detected, above the mist, big black clouds. _Here? In the middle of the desert? How come?_ he wondered, but still, what burned him right now was Matsuri.

And after some time of searching, he found her. She was sleeping at the doorstep of an abandoned house, half demolished and pretty old. It threatened to fall on her at any moment. He walked closer and kneeled beside her.

He looked at her, her peaceful face, the way her hair spread all over as she slept, her long eyelashes, almost touching her cheeks, her pale lips slightly parted. Her face, like his, was drained of all colors. She had hugged her shoulders, probably at some time at night that she felt a little bit colder, her slender fingers seemed unable to protect her or find her any warmth.

It was so strange, her image, Matsuri in a peaceful sleep. Who, Matsuri, the one who either cried or was always on action. And he couldn't help it. Images of her in her every mood popped in his head and his lips formed a small smile.

She was beautiful, he decided. Really beautiful, in and out. He'd been through a lot as well, not as much as he, but she could feel the same way he did. He understood it, there was, there may have just been a person for him to love as well.

He leaned over her and placed a kiss on her forehead. Her skin felt so soft, so tender; delicate but not in the sickening way the demon inside him would have wanted it. No. It felt warm, even though she'd stayed out all night.

She woke up that moment. Her eyes shot open and she looked at whatever she could see, frightened, ready to reach for her kunais. But what her black eyes met was not some danger, but Gaara's collarbone. He noticed that she was awake now and immediately backed off, distracting himself from her.

"G…good morning." He whispered, his voice shaky, unsure for the first time in his life.

"G…Gaara-sensei?" Matsuri whispered as well, hers barely audible. "Wh…What are you doing here?"

"I came…Because of this." Gaara said and lifted the piece of paper that her letter was written on, still held in his fingers tight.

Matsuri's eyes opened wide. "D…Did you actually bother to read it? It's all nonsense of a stupid girl who's through her first crush…Why would Gaara-sensei pay any attention to another foolish little girl?"

"Don't underestimate yourself, Matsuri…This is different…And real. Because you've lived it." Gaara replied, surprising her with his honesty. "Because you've been through almost the same. Because you know how it feels."

"Gaara-sensei…"

"Cut the 'sensei' thing, will you? I am in the same age as you! And I am no longer your teacher, remember?"

"Then why do you…keep on training me?"

"Because…" Gaara's eyebrows furrowed. How are they answering this? "Because you're…a…special person to me…And I don't want something like...like_ that _to happen again. I…"

"Want me to be strong enough to be able to protect myself, even a little bit…Right?" Matsuri completed the sentence for him.

"Yes." Gaara replied. And then, so suddenly, so suddenly, the skies opened and the dark clouds that Gaara had detected before begun pouring big drops of water on them. Hard, crystal raindrops fell on them, around them, and it was so sudden and so weird, that they both stood frozen like comatose sculptures.

"I…It's raining!" Matsuri said, surprised and completely soaked, already.

"We've got to go somewhere…drier, until the storm passes. How come your place-to-stay is so far at the end of Suna?!" Gaara said and grabbed her hand, pulling her out behind him.

"B…But there was nothing else that I could find a house in! And this place is where I got my start, anyway! I've heard people saying that I was abandoned here when I was an infant, and then my deceased parents found me and adopted me!"

"Your parents weren't your birth ones?" Gaara asked, suddenly surprised. He had no idea Matsuri was an orphan twice in her life.

"I don't know my birth parents, alright? I never knew that my parents weren't those ones, though. Only when they died, I've heard people saying it at their funeral…And so I came here."

"Looking for answers?"

"Probably."

"You're strange." Gaara muttered and Matsuri smiled as he dragged her under the roof of another, small, old and ready-to-fall building. "But not as weird as me. At least this thing has a ceiling!"

"Well, most of the time of my life, it has never rained in Suna, so I didn't need a ceiling…The starlit sky is the best ceiling you can think of. It's a magnificent view to have above your head before you go to sleep." Matsuri said and looked at the rain that fell hardly out, just some inches before them.

Only then they realized that they hadsat tightly close to each other, because there was no more space, and no space existed between them. Gaara turned to look at her, and Matsuri, surprised, did the same. And they found themselves so close, so damn close that they could feel each other's breath warming their cheeks. Gaara looked deep into the dark depths of Matsuri's eyes and she looked back, losing herself in the ocean of his sea-colored ones.

"G…Gaara-sensei?" She whispered, barely moving her lips. Gaara's face was closer, so, so close to hers!

Their arms were pressing against each other, and his fingers imprisoned hers in his hand.

"I think I told you…" Gaara whispered, moving even closer to her. "to cut off the 'sensei' thing….Baka seito!"

And their lips met.

And the rain fell hard, harder with each second, and Gaara and Matsuri didn't care, because they both had their wishes granted with this first rain in Suna. Someone to love them.

**Saaaaa, here's it. Owari…Dammit, Gaara is WAY too OOC…And…I don't like anything but the ending! As for the letter Matsuri wrote to Gaara…I had written something like that, once…Don't tease! I was younger and foolish once, whispers not that I am no more…**

**Written for LiveJournal's 30kisses community, for the pairng Gaara x Matsuri**

**Happy Birthday, Jared! I'm sorry that I can't remember if now you're 18 or 19… **

**If he ever reads it, it's also a Bday gift for my school friend, Michael. Happy 17th, Michael! **


	2. A Twisted Ankle

**Title: **A Twisted Ankle

**Author: **Kanashimi Angel

**Pairing: **Sabaku no Gaara x Matsuri

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Theme: **#19 - Red

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or the characters.

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_Matsuri's POV:_

Red…A color? A word? What to describe? How to think of it? The color gives life, the word describes. You name many things with the word. You can draw, describe, give them life. As I am walking, a certain red comes in my mind. The red of a person. The red of someone I love.

No, I am not saying this…No, I am not answering the question "What color is love?"… I am asking myself. To me, it is red. It is all because of him.

The reasons why I love him?

His rough childhood; blood stained loneliness.

His lose hair, pure red.

The mark on his forehead, crimson love.

His clothes, all in shades of the most difficult color of the world. Crimson, ruby, red.

His feelings. Ever since then, the same as mine.

He's not the monster everyone says. To me, he's more a human than any other person I've met in my life.

Gaara-sensei.

_Gaara's POV_

Red….Word, color, thought, liquid, feeling, object, emotion. Red has been in every aspect of my life.

As a word, it reminded me of mum, a pain I still can't heal.

As a color, I would see it, I would even have it on my head.

As a thought, it would never leave my mind, Day and night, day and night. Constantly. Forever.

As a liquid, it does not need questioning. Blood. And blood was the one thing that NEVER, never left my mind. I was born bloody. I never bled but I was forced to see others bleed. Blood, I heard someone say, is gruesome. Blood can be fascinating. And those who fear it are just stupid. What do they fear, in reality? The thing that keeps their hearts beating; the thing that keeps them alive.

As a feeling, it was what everyone said, my murderous aura that foretold me. THAT didn't belong to me. That was not MY feeling. I may have had my soul inhabited by a demon, but I can tell which feelings were his and which were mine.

As an object, it would be the fabric my clothes were made of, it would be Temari's ribbon, it would be my umbrella. Nothing unnatural. Nothing strange.

And as an emotion…That's the easiest, but the most difficult in the same time. There was something that I heard everyone talking about. Something I myself could never understand, because I never felt it. I didn't know why, but it bothered me. It was so irritating and painful, in the same time. I could see the other kids at my age play and fool around with wide smiles on their happy and I still wonder…Why, even though I know now, why did it have to be me? Was it all because of this inner demon of mine? That was the thing to push them away, make them leave me alone? Shouldn't my father, as a parent loving to his child have silenced the secret, and try to protect me? I could not be hurt physically, but their words would hurt me. I had a heart too. I still have. A heart that's still aching.

And so I walk forward, head down, hoping for someone to cure this invisible wound that's always bleeding inside me.

Matsuri was walking with her hands in her pockets, her head down, her loose hair falling in her face. The only thing she could see was a little bit of the sand at her feet, and her shoes. In her mind thoughts were swirling, what she would do today, where she would sleep at night, if she would be assigned to any important mission or not, her kunais needing to be polished, her wallet almost empty…She was so full of the thoughts that didn't watch where she was going, and so tripped over a stone and fell, bumping onto someone.

Looking up, she became as red as the sunset when her eyes met the one who prevented her from hitting the ground.

Under her was the Fourth Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara.

A surprised Gaara.

A blinking Gaara.

"Ag..G-Gaara-sensei…." She mumbled and instantly stood up next to him. "I…I'm so sorry, I…wasn't looking where I was going…"

"What were you thinking of?" He said, standing up and next to her. "You seemed pretty…confused." He came closer to her and brushed off her hair a small amount of sand.

"….Well…About….My day…"

"I won't assign you to any missions today"

"But…How will I earn the money I need to pay off my food and…"

"Your food, you mean…Because you don't have a house."

Matsuri's eyes shone with pride. "I'm a big girl now. I don't need a house. I've learned how to defend myself." But just the moment she was about to brag for more, a sharp pain hit her and she let out a squeal, falling to her knees.

"Hey!" Gaara sat down next to her; a worried expression in his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Matsuri grabbed her left foot and greeted her teeth, just now understanding that somehow, when she fell, she had twisted her left ankle. "I…I am alright…" She managed to mumble, but then let out a pain-filled cry.

"You twisted your ankle! Let me take a look at it!"

"But I am alright!"

"No, you're not."

"I am! Really! It doesn't hurt so much anymore!"

"Yeah, right, that's why you can barely stand!"

"But…"

"Just stop already! You act like a little baby!" Gaara shouted and, in his attempt to silence her, he found himself sealing her lips with his. Surprising himself as well with his own action, he tried to back down, but it seemed his mind told him otherwise.

Besides, how could he let go when he felt Matsuri's arms wrapped around his neck, and her kissing him back, responding so gently as if she had been waiting for this for years?

He closed his eyes and his right hand cupped her chin, while his left arm embraced her from the waist, bringing her closer, their bodies almost touching.

The sharp pain at Matsuri's twisted ankle was completely forgotten the moment she felt Gaara's lips touching hers. All her thoughts flied away and it was like her limbs had paralyzed. She couldn't believe that she was thinking of him, HOW she was thinking of him just earlier that morning, and now…

Gaara-sensei was kissing her!

Her sensei was kissing her!

Her Gaara was—

………………….

And with that last thought, electricity shot through her and she awoke, pulling away from him so suddenly, that she fell backwards and threw him aside. Confused, Gaara sat up the same moment with her and looked at her, right into the dark chocolate eyes she carried, and she didn't look the other way. Even though she was scared from the possessive thought that overtook her, she wasn't afraid of him finding out.

And he read her thoughts in her eyes.

And she didn't mind.

And he came closer.

And she closed her eyes, and he whispered her name.

And as their lips united once again, the thought hit both.

Red is what describes love.

* * *


	3. Swings

**My third kiss and yes...I'm keeping on with chibi-ness madness! I entered a fanart contest which was GaaMatsu chibi and the theme was Halloween, so I drew Gaara as a pumpkin and Matsuri as a witch...Hehehe**

**When I upload my entry, I will put the link here.**

**I do not own Naruto**

* * *

A short girl with long brown hair, the brown of the desert's sand piles was running with all her might, her tiny fists tightened and her arms almost stuck to her body. 

She ran and ran, like the Devil himself was chasing her. But her pursuers were demonic, or at least, their thoughts were.

"Hey! Stop running like that! You're gonna trip and fall!"

"And then it will be easier for us to get you!"

"Which means no fun!"

"Yeah, right! Hahahaha!"

"Come here girlie! Dun be'fraid!"

Alright, they were just kids, like her, but Matsuri was afraid of them. She was nearing the playground now, and her ears reached a strange melody, and she could make out the sillhouette of another kid, next to a small black box. She didn't know if he was good or bad, but he was her only hope.

"Hewp!" The word shining in her mind, it came out of her kips in a scream, heading it for the other kid. "Hewp me!"

The kid turned his head towards her, and Matsuri almost dropped dead on her tracks from surprise. Those eyes! What was this kid, insomniac?

"What's wrong with you?" The kid asked when Matsuri had finally entered the playground. She collapsed exhausted next tohim nd crawled behind him. He had red hair, she noticed.

"Hewp me...Pwease..." Matsuri whispered, the space between her missing teeth making a whistling noise when her breath left her lips. "They'we aftew me! Pwease..."

"Don't worry! Don't be afraid! I will protect you! What's your name?"

"They'we comin' cwosew! Eh?...Oh, I am Matsuwi! You?"

"I'm Gaara. Hey! Stay behind! They're here!"

Matsuri nodded in compreention and hid behind hi, watchng the kids who chased her standing in front of that Gaara child who wanted to protect her, even though he had just met her.

"So, so, so! Come on kitty, give the thing to us and we'll let you off the hook!"

"Yeah, you're in debt to us, chickie!"

"Go on! Give it!'

"I didn't do anything today! I sweaw!" Matsuri murmired, scared.

"Leave Matsuri alone." Gaara said.

The other threechildren blinked, and the one who seemed to be their leader smirked. They crossed their arms and smiled ironically.

"Oh yeah?" Spoke their leader. "And what makes _you_ thin we will?"

"If you don't do..."

"What, you're gonna tell daddy? Oh, how scared I am!...You freak!" The leader squeeled, addressing the insult to Gaara. Matsuri brought her hand to er outh. Although she didn't know why, she felt this would hurt her protector deeply. The kid did look frightening, alright, but _freak?_

"The Kazekage doesn't care about the problems I have...He's got other kids as well and he cares more about them..." The Gaara kid spoke, pain obviously consuming him. "I've learn how to do things on my own. Matsuri is my friend. I won't let you harm her."

"Ohaha! The guy wants to p[lay it hero! Look here, little brat! You freak, give us the girl and we'll let you live! She owes us!" The other children lifted stones from the ground around them.

"Get away! Matsuri shouted, frightened to death. "I towd you I have nothing fow today!"

"You filthy liar! our pockets are full!"

"Its sand, it's just sand!"

"Liar!"

"Get her!"

"Matsuri stay behind!"

And the kids threw the stones to them, and lifted more, and threw those as well. Matsuri closed her eyes, waiting to feel the cold earthy objects hit her, but the feeling never reached her. Surpried, she looked up and saw Gaara, and in front of him, a sand pile. A sand pile that stood in front of both kids like a shield.

"What's that? The kid on the front of their enemies asked

"G...GAH! It's sand!" Panicked, his comrades brought their hadnds on their mouths and they ran away cowardly.

"Whre are you going? You cowards! Come back!" The ir leader yelled, grabbing another stone.

"It's useless! He's...He is protected! You can't beat him, you can't get throuh that sand!" His comrades shouted. But the boy wasn't obviously listening.

When the sand went down, Gaara was holding the little black box in his hand. Matsuritook a closer look at it and now she saw that it seemd to be a bit like some kind of...radio-cassete player? Of course. He was the Kazekage's son. Matsuri didn't even have ahouse, a roof over her head, she couldn't even dream of owning something like a cassette player...

"Wh...what are you going to do with that?" She asked frightened.

"Give up. You can't get Matsuri. I won't let you!" Gaara said. "Don't make me hurt you."

"Wah? What are you talking about? You're the one who's gonna be hurt!"

"Oh really? TAKE THAT!" Gaara said and threw the cassete-player to the kid.

If he was a proffessional archer, he wouldn't be more accurate.

"AAW! OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! You freak! YOU DAMN FREAK! MY EYE! MY EYE! I'm bleeding! I'M BLEEDING! WAAAH!"

-- -- -- --

Later that day, Gaara and Matsuri were switching turns on the one lone swing. This time, Gaara was pushing and pulling the swing so for Matsuri to move.

"Um...Gaawa, was it?" Matsuri sked him. They hadn't talked at all when the kids left Matsuri alone.

"Yes?" Gaara replied. The swin came to him again and he gave it a slight push.

"Why...Why did you hewp me back then? I mean...It's not that I do not appwesiate what you did fow me, but...You hawdwy know me."

"Well, you came to me with sincerity and asked me to help you. This means that, evem though you knew nothing about me, you trusted me. This has never happened to me before. They're afraid of me, but I dont know why yet..."

"Wew, when you tuwned, youw eyes scawed me a it...But that cowow inside was mowe powewfuw and I saw something...And besides, you wewe my wast hope. I wouwd be dead if they caught me befowe I found you."

"Why were they chasing you?"

"...It's a wong stowy. I am an owphan. They wewe hewping me in the beggining, but now that I gwew up, they say that I have to pay them back...Ad they fowced me into steawing."

"Stealing? But why? It's impossible for them to want you to do it!"

"I know...Ano ne, isn't it youw time to sit?"

"No, not yet."

"But I've been hewe fow longew! And besides..." Matsuri's stomach growled. "I've got to go searwch fow somethig to eat..."

"Search?"

"I don't have pawents to feed me, so I have to seawch at the bins to find the leftovews of the othew famiwies..."

"But that's horrible! Hey...I got an idea! Gaara said and stopped the swing, holding it tight in his tiny fists the next time it came. "I'll share with you my food. Besides, I was never able to eat it all alone!"

"Wo...You mean it?" Matsuri's eyes filled with tears of happiness. There was a day where she would not starve! "I love you so much, Gaawa!" She said and turned on the swing's seat, so to be able to face him, andgave him a tight hug.

Gaara stood frozen in her arms. Love? A hug? And...She said she loved him? Was he dreamng?

"Ehe...Matsuri...Aren't you afraid of me?" He asked as he helped he et down from the swing, and then they walked to a peacefull corner of th payground. There, Gaara took a small pack out of his pocket and unfolded it on his lap. He took one of the two apples he had and gave one to Matsuri. "Here. It is all yours!"

"Wow! An apple! Thank you so much, Gaawa!" Matsuri gave him a warm smile and bit the fruit, her tiny white teeth hungrily diving into its flesh. "Why wouwd I?" she asked, her mouth filled and he cheeks flushed.

"Well...Because of my sand?" Gaara asked hesitently.

"What's so stwange about it? It's gweat! The sand is pwotecting you and you dont have to wun away fwom peoplw who want to huwt you!" Matsuri smiled, and then swallowed. "Nee, Gaawa?"

The red-haired kid looked upto her troubled. His eyes were solemnly looking at her. "What?"

"You did so much fow me today, and I still haven't thanked you." Matsuri said, the bit apple in her hand, s bit of its juice left on the corner of her mouth. "What can I do to thank you, Gaawa?"

"You dont need to do anything, Matsuri. You've thaned me by trusting me., By not fearing me. You love me, right?" Gaara asked. He lifeted his arm and brshed his hand on her lower lip, and then her chin, wiping off the apple juice.

"Yes! love you, Gaawa! We'll be fwiends fwom now on! Nuu, that's not enough! Oh! I know!" she smiled, and once he had taken his hand, she reached him in a sudden move and kissed him on the cheek. Surprising both herself with her courage, and him, with her immediate response.

He looked as if a thunder had hit him, though.

"Huh?" Gaara touched his skin on the spot her lips had been for an instant. It felt warmer, and cooler in the same time. "What did you do that for?"

"What? You didn't like it?" Matsuri asked, her brows furrowing in worry.

"It's not that..But...No one has ever kissed me..."

"If I wemembew well, my mommy used to tell me that thewe is a fiwst time fow evewything!" Matsuri said, smiling. And then she repeated the movement.

But this time, no one of the two was surprised. Gaara grabbd his apple and gave it a big bite as well, making Matsuri share with him one of her warmest smiles.

* * *

**Wheoo! That was it! The third kiss! Hope you liked!**

**Oh, a kind of note here, the parts where there is "w" in Matsuri's words, its either an "l" or an "r".**


	4. Hanabi  Fireworks

**The next kiss my friends! And I exceeded my deadline...Oh, anyway, I am using a bit of japanese in this, so bear with me...**

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**Title: **Hanabi - Fireworks 

**Author: **Kanashimi Angel

**Pairing: **Sabaku no Gaara x Matsuri

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Theme: **# 01 – Look Over Here!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or its characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

The summer was nearing its end and in the Sunagakure village, the preparations for the fireworks festival were on everyone's daily schedule; especially those that would be set around the Kazekage mansion. The Kazekage had taken in mind that there was a possibility of the other Kages visiting Suna just for the famous firework performance.

He had decided to personally take care of the preparations, and so he had charged his older daughter, Temari, with taking care of her two younger brothers, Kankurou and Gaara. And so now, since the only place that was left to fix a few details for was the Kazekage mansion, the Third had given permission to his kids to go to the morning festival, allowing them to even buy something little, if they would like.

And now Temari was holding both her brothers' hands in hers, and the three were walking up the aisles of the wooden boards where toys, sweets, clothes, fruit, food, refreshments and jewelery were laid out at the sun, people walking around them, happy smiles and faces all over the place.

"Wow, look at that! It's has just two strings!" Kankurou shouted excited once they stopped in front of one with toys. He held a puppet in his hand, in the shape of a cat. "Isn't it the coolest ever?"

"I like that one more…" Temari said and pointed towards a cat plush toy, which was holding an opened fan. She reached for it and took it, and she noticed that it was dressed with a corset and a skirt, and had its one eye covered with Suna's forehead protector. "Look! Those look like mum's clothes!" she said. She held the plush toy tighter and hugged it. It smelled like candy.

"What about you?" Kankurou asked Gaara. "What will you take?"

Their little brother was still looking around with his big green eyes and his thumb in his mouth, wandering around with his eyes, while his other hand was tightly holding his older sister's kimono.

Temari kneeled beside him and caught his shoulders.

"Would you like something too, Gaara?" She asked him sweetly, cradling his hair.

The little boy looked around once again and tried to find something to like, something that would draw his attention. And he found it.

Just a few steps away, on the same board, there was a brown teddy bear with shiny black eyes. He looked up surprised by how sweet it looked to his childish eyes and his hand let go of his sister's clothe, pointing towards the teddy, letting out a silent cry, like "this!"

"Hm? You want this?" Temari asked.

Gaara looked at the teddy once again and nodded, not letting out another word. "This" his eyes were saying.

"Dammit, this kid!" Kankurou muttered. "Why ain't he talking at all?"

"Shut up, Kanky! Gaara is so small yet! He still has much time to be able to communicate!" Temari contradicted him. "You want this then, yes?" she asked Gaara.

And for the first time in their life, since he was born, Gaara actually talked. He opened his mouth and let out a fading whisper, a trembling "yes".

Kankurou blinked.

"He actually spoke now?" He asked, dumbfounded, while Temari was paying for all three of their toys. The golden coins fell from her hand to the wooden board, and she kneeled in front of Gaara again.

"Here. It's all yours now, ne?" She told him, the sweetest of all smiles on her lips.

"Hai. Teddy is Gaara's."

Kankurou blinked twice as he was receiving his puppet from his sister.

"He actually formed a whole sentence? Miracle!"

"Gaara you're talking!" Temari said, overwhelmed. "We have to celebrate this!" She looked around when they continued walking, and saw another board where sweets were sold, and lollipops were appearing too, among them rest of the sweets. "There!' she said and pulled both her brothers with her.

"Here? What do we do here?" Kankurou asked.

"We will buy some sweets for Gaara. I'm sure dad won't get mad if we tell him why we spent more money!"

They were lucky they were fast. The board was getting empty pretty quickly; every parent who had a kid at their age came there. There were some kids that went there alone too.

When they got closer, there were just three lollipops left. And a lone little girl was standing there, sadly looking at the sweets. She was dressed with a kimono that certainly wasn't hers, since it was way bigger than her tiny figure. Her hair was loose and long, but in contrast with the sleeves and the bottom of her kimono, they weren't dirty, but they were shining like silk under the morning sun. Gaara noticed that they had the color of the sand.

Kankurou was the first to reach the board, and he lifted on of the three leftover sweets, swinging it happily, and Temari laughed innocently. The woman behind the board smiled kindly, and once they had come closer, she gave Temari and Gaara the two last lollipops.

"How much for all three?" Temari's voice reached Gaara's ears only fading, since he was looking at the lone girl at the other edge of the board. Her eyes were solemn now, and she looked like she was about to cry.

She then raised her eyes up to him and realized that he was staring at her.

_"Not he! Not again!"_ she thought. _"Everyone's staring at my clothes all the time…"_ She sucked in a breath to prevent her eyes from letting the tears, because she was about to cry, and turned her back to leave.

Gaara didn't realize Temari was leaving, because she had his eyes stuck on the strange girl. She looked interesting to him.

"Wait!" he let out when he saw that she was about to leave. "Please, don't leave!"

And the little girl turned to face him.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She asked, obviously afraid, in a voice so soundless and sweet, that it was barely audible.

"Gaara. Why are you crying?" he asked and walked closer.

"Matsuri. I'm not." She said, but her eyes told otherwise.

"I see tears on your cheeks. You don't have parents, siblings? Or are you lost?"

"Nothing. My parents died some days ago. I was an only child." Matsuri said, and came a step closer. "Those were your siblings?"

"Temari and Kankurou? Yes."

"Your sister is beautiful. This is beautiful. The teddy."

"Temari bought it for Gaara. Teddy is Gaara's!" he said, still with his lollipop on hand. "Temari is the older sister. Temari is like mum." Gaara continued, and then Matsuri tried to smile. "My mum died too. When I was born."

Matsuri's eyes opened wide.

"Really?" Her hands flied behind her back immediately. "But you have a dad, right?"

"It's like I don't have. He's always working, and when he's at home, he's always with Kankurou and Temari. Gaara barely sees him."

"Are you the Kazekage's son?" Matsuri asked, somehow cold now.

"Are you gonna judge me because I am? You have to know that I don't like it…Temari says people feel obliged to like us just because of that.."

"I wasn't going to…It's just that I…I hate rich people. They're the reason my mommy and daddy had to leave me…"

"My mum left me too…And the Kazekage…"

"I liked you. I do like you." Matsuri whispered.

"Are you…Are you serious?" It was Gaara's turn to be with eyes wide open.

"Yeah. Because…People always despise me; when they look at me, it's like they're able to lecture me with their eyes…But you…Even though you didn't know me, you cared if I was lost. That fact was enough for me to trust and like you." Matsuri murmured and Gaara caught her tiny hand in his.

"Here." He said and gave her his lollipop. "I don't want it anymore. It will taste better for you. I'm sick of them."

"H…Hontou?" Matsuri's eyes were shining with a pleasant light. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Gaara-kun!"

Gaara smiled.

"Will you do me a favor, Matsuri?"

"Un! Sure! Whatever you want!" Matsuri said happily, her one hand in his and her other busy with holding the lollipop.

"Will you come to the firework performance tonight? Kankurou and Temari will be both with father, but they say Gaara is too young to be allowed to be them…And from being alone again…If I hadn't met you I'd rather watch them from my bedroom window, but I'd like to watch them with you."

"Oh…Sure! I will come. Ano ne…"

"Nani?"

"Arigatou…for this" Matsuri said, swinging the lollipop.

"Iie. Kinishinai, I didn't want it anymore!"

"Anata wa yasashi desu!" Matsuri said happily and kissed him on the cheek. Gaara blushed, and put his palm on the spot, covering the red on his face as he smiled hesitantly.

It would be a lie if he said that he didn't like it.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Please leave some reviews, ne? **

**If you have problems with the Japanese words, just ask me **


	5. Loneliness

**Title: **Loneliness 

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Author: **Kanashimi Angel

**Theme: **#15 Perfect Blue

**Pairing: **Sabaku no Gaara x Matsuri

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot. Gaara x Matsuri belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

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**Fourth or fifth kiss to go up, I've forgotten, after all this time…Anyway, merry Christmas and a Happy new Year to everyone out there, my friends! **

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Gaara's POV 

_What's a world without a sun?_ What is ground without water? What's a sky without a cloud? What's a night without a star? What's a man without pride?

What's life like without love? Friendship? Kindness? Anything noble, warming up, or at least cheerful? What's a child without parents? What becomes of a boy who never learned how to love? Who was never loved, who never had someone to teach him what love means?

I am here to answer those questions. I've lived a life of loneliness and pain, a loveless life, with dark, long nights of torturing nightmares that soon turned up to make me an insomniac. Was I ever recognized for anything but my powers? Was I ever, _ EVER_, taken into notice because it was _m e_ to be noticed? Did anyone ever think of me as human? As a person? The monstrous power that lies inside me took great care of that fact, I was never welcomed. I was to never know my parents like my siblings did. I killed the first person when I was born. I was the one who sent mother to the other side. I killed my mother.

Besides that's my name. It's my life that I have been named after, I guess I get it now. The one who sealed that demon inside me sure knew what he was doing. He, either willingly or not, offered me gently this life of misery, pain, sorrow, and hatred, this lonely life that always lacked the thing that every other child was given thousands of times more than I was. Love. My loveless life. It's this love-lacking life that I was named after. He who was never loved. It's me, Gaara of the Desert.

Even my home, even my home is that of a loner. The desert. The sand. Its winds and tiny pieces, and the secrets it holds…I was the one to be let in and know them. I was the one to understand it. The one to get how it felt to the sand to stay there, always in the very same place it was put from the beginning and never change. I felt _lonely. _

_The sand felt lonely._

I guess that explains its attitude towards me. The protection it offered me. The safety. The company. The sympathy. Everything. I was alone and never loved, the desert, the sand understood it. I was hurt, so hurt because of that fact. The sand knew. And thus it protected me. Not only from mental but physical injuries too.

But oh well, I at least had the sand. For everyone else, this certainly is nuts, but the sand was a great company. A hand that I could hold when I needed it, a warm embrace when no one else was willing to give me one. In the end, I _did_ have someone. I was not so alone as I thought I was.

I had my siblings, and that came out to be more than enough.

- - -

That morning had proved itself to be one of the busiest Godaime Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara had ever faced. Maybe it was because both his assistants, Temari and Kankurou were on high-ranked missions and he had to deal with all the paperwork alone. He felt drowned in that sea of papers, and many times it occurred to him that he wanted to give up and go home.

When it was nearly sunset, he decided that he had done enough for a day alone. He sighed as he signed the last piece of paper and then pushed the sheet away, rubbing his eyes. It felt really relieving to know that he could sleep when he went home, now that the Shukaku had been extracted from him.

Hesitant knocks on his door were to wake him and take him away of his thoughts, and he managed to soullessly let out a tired "Come in".

The door opened and he spotted his student of years and now assistant too, Matsuri, entering the room. He looked up, and she smiled at him, a beautiful smile that somehow worked on him like a painkiller. The tiring headache that threatened him until moments ago was wiped away once his eyes made contact with the girl's figure.

"Konnichiwa, Gaara-sensei!.. Ano, um, Baki-san sent me to deliver these mission reports and the--" She suddenly choked on her words and coughed, so hard that the pack of papers in her arms fell on the floor; said papers flying to all directions. She fell down on her knees and put a hand in front of her mouth, and then some seconds after it was all over.

"Matsuri…" Gaara let out and stood up to go and help her.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…Look at this mess…" said the onyx-eyed kunoichi and begun to gather the papers that had fallen all over. Her eyes were teary and her hair messy from the fall; her face flushed from the lack of breath moments ago.

"It's alright…Hey, you don't have to gather them!" Gaara said, kneeling down and helping her pick them up.

"No, no, it was so stupid of me! I'm a kunoichi, after all, I should have been more considerate and careful--" She stopped in the middle of her sentence though, as Gaara's hand fell over her own on the same piece of paper. A gentle blush spread upon her face, making her look even more sweet.

Gaara looked up to her and his eyes remained there, on her face, staring at the girl's pale features. He noticed that she had changed her Chuunin outfit with her old one, only now the long shirt was blue, same with her skirt and long shocks, and he stared at her for endless moments, at her silky hair that had the same color with his beloved and overprotective sand, at her blushing face, her slightly parted lips, the dark depths of her eyes…He drank in her image and then, only then noticed that their heads were only inches apart.

Matsuri's head was spinning. _What's going on here?_ She wondered, but made no move to pull apart or anything. Her eyes traveled over the person sitting right in front of her, how the Kazekage trencher-cap was folded around his knees, the white and the blue part of it, a blue that looked very much like her own clothes. Her throat felt dry, after all that coughing, her eyes were starting to hurt and they were shining from her unshed tears. Gaara was so close, _so close_! She could feel his breath on her cheeks, maybe hers too was reaching him that way. She felt his hand on her hair, stroking the ginger strands with hesitant fingers.

"S…sensei…" she whispered, her heart bumping in her chest as if it wanted to tear out of it, but she couldn't say more. Suddenly, his lips were on hers, sealing them with a tender kiss. She was surprised but quickly responded, feeling that her wish of years was somehow now true. She really wondered, what was he thinking, what could have made him, the Kazekage, throw his look upon her, just a random girl. And a poor one with tomboyish sense of dressing, nonetheless.

Gaara too was surprised by his own action, although he _did_ know why he kissed her. All the thoughts he had in his head brought him to the conclusion that, in all Suna, only she was one girl who had suffered quite much harassment and had felt the same grieving feelings that he did. He liked her a lot, for her silence too, among all the other things. He really wanted her to be by his side.

A few moments passed, and they broke apart. Matsuri was still as red as radish, and Gaara moved to the leftover papers on the floor. After a hesitant second, Matsuri awoke from her state of awe and went on to help him, careful not to "bother" him again.

"G…Gaara-sensei?"

He looked up, she seemed really troubled as she picked the fallen sheets with nimble fingers.

"What is it?"

Matsuri took a deep breath to calm herself. _Now or never_ she thought. "I…just…wanted to tell you…I l--"

"I know." Gaara said , catching her hand. He tried to form a smile, and he did it, offering her the happiest expression that had spread upon his features in his whole life.

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**Here I am again! This is in danger too, and I need to have another one up too! I'll probably put it up on 1/14/2008 or LATEST at 1/15/2008. Hope you like it, and PLEASE review! -**


	6. I bleed

**Fandom:** Naruto 

**Title:** I bleed

**Author: **Kanashimi Angel

**Theme:** # 21 – Violence

**Pairing:** Sabaku no Gaara x Matsuri

**Rating:** M

**Warning:** Battle scene, bloodshed, death. The first technique Gaara uses is not one that Kishimoto-sama created. It's translation is "Desert's sprinkling needles". 

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot. Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

The hardest mission. The deadliest one she would ever take. One that would bring her to her dying day without second thought. One that she knew she had to survive, if she wanted to take the Jounin exams right after.

One, that she was assigned to by accident.

Gaara. Once he heard about it, he tried his best to undo the mistake made, and not send her, but someone else instead. But even he wasn't properly authorized. And since he could do nothing to prevent her from leaving, he decided that he would go with her.

Of course, Baki, the Elders and the council protested. The village of Sunagakure definitely needn't its leader out of the territory again, especially now that he had just been retrieved from the Akatsuki hideout with the help of Konohagakure shinobi. Especially now that the village was under re-construction, and everything needed an over-look. But due to his newborn will to protect, his siblings, Wind mistress Temari and Puppet master Kankurou decided to take on the leadership for as long as he panned to be off. And so, since they had already done it in the past, the Elders decided to let him off the hook for once.

They were walking in the woods now, trying to stay as silent although the crunching dry leaves under their feet were making pretty hard noises. Matsuri was walking as silently as she could, trying her best to avoid it and walk quietly. But in a forest at autumn and on such a path it was impossible.

"Ano…Gaara-sensei?" she asked, whispering so slowly that even she couldn't tell whether she thought or said it.

"Hm? What is it?" He replied, his voice hollow, yet ever-so-calm.

"I…think I felt a strange power…Close…" she said, and a sudden shiver shook her; Gaara then turned his head to the left as the breeze blew, lifting some of the leaves covering the path.

"Yes…Yes, you're right…" He whispered and slowly formed a hand seal. "Come here. Stay close to me."

Matsuri walked up to him and he grabbed her one arm, keeping her next to him.

"Sabaku no Jourou Senbou!"

Her onyx eyes opened wide as his sand, moving out of the gourd on his back, formed thousands of sharp needles and flew to all directions around them. Screams and yells of pain filled the air around them, and Matsuri shuddered. Her eyes shut almost automatically when a red river appeared from under some bushes at their left. She couldn't miss it though, the sound of a blade whistling in the air as it approached them. Her eyes shot open and she dragged a shuriken from her bag, throwing it to the direction where the other blade was coming from.

She was quick, and stopped the enemy's kunai on the last moment. It aimed for her, as it seemed, and in case she had missed the target, she jumped on the side, pushing Gaara to the opposite edge of the leaf-covered pathway. She had a pretty good sense of danger, because even though her star-shaped blade stopped the first kunai and blocked its way, another one came, this time aiming for the spot Gaara had been standing only seconds ago.

"Damn idiots…" She heard him say. "Are you alright?" He asked her as they stood up from where they'd fallen and wiped the dust off of their clothes. Matsuri nodded. "Ain't they over yet?"

"It doesn't seem like it…Sensei, watch out!" The girl replied and jumped to his side, throwing him on the ground again, this time falling on him too, forced by the fierce power of her own action. She hit her forehead on a stone when she fell, but had neither the time nor the will to care about the wound on her forehead; for as soon as their bodies touched the ground, the air above them filled with flying blades, from all to all directions.

The sand that earlier attacked new formed a thick wall around them, protecting them in its fateful embrace. Gaara moved his hands and Matsuri got off of him, seeing for the first time how her mentor's ultimate defense worked _from the inside_. It felt like a giant, and small in the same time shelter, and it really was one. When the metal storm came to an end, they both sat up and Gaara's eyes pierced through the sand grains and his lips tightened in an invisible line, as the area around them filled with Amegakure and Kirigakure shinobi.

"Matsuri…" He said, catching her attention. Look over there…"

"…" Her voice was drowned in her throat, her eyes urging to deny the image they took in. Thousands of shinobi, dark-clothed and faces covered with masks were looking for them. "Sono hito-tachi wa…"

"Ame to Kiri no shinobi…The ones that you were assigned to…Assassinate."

Matsuri brought her hands to her mouth.

"W-watashi? Hitori de…Kill them?" She whispered. "Were the ones that made the mistake nuts? Watashi wa Chuunin dake!" she said, and Gaara nodded. She gulped down her fear and a sweat drop ran, her hands were trembling.

"Matsuri…Omae wa kowai." It was not a question, he was stating the facts. The girl nodded, and Gaara closed his eyes, then he embraced her.

The onyx eyes of the sand-haired girl opened wide. Gaara's arms were protectively wrapped around her waist and shoulders, and his fingers were holding strands of her hair too.

"…Nanisuru, sensei?"

"Kowaku janai."

"Eh?"

"Don't be. I won't let them hurt you" he said, and then released her, and the sand shelter around them begun to 'melt'.

"HOY! You little kitties! Are _you_ the ones that idiot of a Kazekage of yours assigned to kill _us_? Heh!"

"A little girl?"

"And a redhead?"

"Psaw!"

"Piece of a cake!"

"What did he think we are?"

"He underestimated us?"

"_They_ are no match for _us_!"

Matsuri looked at Gaara confused. He stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"There are two kinds of people who are to die soon. The ones who face the fact with fear and cry out loud, begging for mercy…And the ones who either joke around idiotically or prance arrogantly of the unrivaled power they wish to believe they have. Which one are you?" he said, as the sand slowly slipped out of the gourd like a snake preparing to attack its prey.

"What are you talking about, boy? _You are_ the one who's gonna die soon!"

"Is that guy really a Jounin?"

"He barely looks like Genin to me!"

"He's the Kazekage!" Matsuri yelled suddenly, standing out front and shaking her fist to them. "And I was the one who _someone else_ assigned to this mission!"

"You're going down girl!"

"Ryusabakuryuu!"

The moment a masked Shinobi from Kirigakure threw a munch of explosive tagged kunai to where Matsuri was, Gaara walked in front of her and put his hands together. Sand rose from everywhere around them and formed huge waves, not only protecting Matsuri from the flying daggers but also covering everyone that opposed them with its fateful embrace. It stuck on every last person like a second skin, and the next second, Matsuri knew what was going to happen. Gaara lifted his hands and grabbed the air, steadily speaking.

"Sabaku Taisou!"

The girl closed her eyes tightly as the last screams of those men filled her ears. She remembered now, her own parents' screams when they were killed, her mother that tried to protect her, the small porcelain hand which had been stained with blood when trying to reach for her and only slid down her cheek, the last words that came out of that throat drowned in blood. She remembered her cries, how she begged for her mother not to leave her, but she wouldn't listen, she was pale and silent, she was pale and cold, and Matsuri was crying, howling, because she had been weak, just a weak child, an orphan now, and she couldn't do anything to protect her parents, and now she cried and howled too, her old fear of blood coming at surface again, because she knew she had been protected again, even though she was supposed to kill those men, she was protected by someone again; it hurt her to know that all her efforts to become braver and stronger were futile. She was yet as useless and powerless as the child inside her was back then.

She fell on the ground, with her hands on her head, and a last kunai flying from the enemy to them hit her on the cheek and she bled, but she didn't care, al she wanted to do was cry, cry for her pathetic self; once again, she had failed someone's expectations. If she were to fight those men alone, the village would have fallen to Amegakure's and Kirigakure's hands like a whore to a man's embrace. Had she been alone in this, she would have been either killed or taken hostage. The truth was harsh but she had admitted it and now it hurt her.

"Matsuri…" she heard Gaara say, probably for the millionth time. "What are you doing? Why are you crying? Why did you scream?" he asked. He sounded concerned. His hands were on her shoulders, trying to make her pull herself off of the ground.

"Sensei…" Matsuri whimpered when she faced him. She felt so ashamed, she didn't even want to lift her eyes to see hi. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I…it was all my fault…I…should have…I'm so sorry…" she said, still crying, and didn't notice that Gaara had closed her in his embrace.

"No…I am." Gaara whispered, his lips against the roots of her hair. "I couldn't keep my promise…They hurt you…Even this little scratch…" he said and passed his fingers over the bleeding cut on her cheek, now her tears mixing in. "…even this is proof of my broken promise…" And it was then that he tenderly stroked her ginger strands, it was then that she understood what he had been doing, it was then that the leftover unshed tears in her eyes ran free; it was then that she cried out loud, with the voice of the hurt orphan she had been suppressing inside her for the past ten years, it was then that her fingers grabbed tight hold of the cloth on his back and his arms wrapped protectively around her. T was then that they locked eyes and Gaara leaned over, attempting to dry the tear tracks on her cheeks with his lips. Those lips that found their place on hers instead.

It was bitter and teary, yet soft and comforting, like Matsuri was trying to comfort him for his loneliness and Gaara trying to wash away all her fears and worries. Like she was trying to ensure him that she would never again leave him alone, like he was trying to give her the courage to face everything that would come up next in her life. His sorrow had somehow vanished, her fears had gone away, and the only thing that remained sore yet were her tears, shining proof of a love that shoved away the darkness of two locked-up hearts and opened them up for each other and the world.

* * *

**Second present for EmeraldWolfChild and Gaara. Sixth kiss, if I am right. I've lost the counting, the way I write them.**

**About this...Maybe it's the theme, but I think that I've gotten a little more serious...and darker, with this. But oh well. C'est moi.**

**And if I have any any spelling mistakes, c'est ne ma faute pas. It's all due to the broken keyboard.**


	7. Son of a Kage, friend of Kaze

Fandom: Naruto

Theme: # 23 – Candy

Author: Kanashimi Angel

Characters: Sabaku no Gaara x Matsuri

Title: Son of Kage, friend of Kaze

Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. All I own is the plot.

Even since Yondaime Kazekage had died, he knew that for taking his father's place he would be hated and they would try to take him down. But supported from his siblings, his people and Matsuri, he felt he could go on.

Times like those, it calmed him to sit down in front of the giant states of the previous Kazekages, thinking of each separately. Shodaime Kazekage was the one who had created the village of Sunagakure; Nidaime Kazekage had built the walls that protected it. Then Sandaime, his grandfather, that had created the alliance with the Fire Country, and especially the village of Konohagakure. Even when Orochimaru, after killing his father and taking his place as the Kazekage, had signed contract with Sound to bring down Konoha, those guys forgave them afterwards and their alliance was anewed…Konoha and Suna were beads bound to the same thread, and he was a ring of a chain of the men to keep it going.

There were many days when he felt like giving up. He always had supporters though, Temari, Kankurou and…Matsuri.

Matsuri…That girl…She had been by his side for what seemed like forever, she had been there through everything with him. His student, apprentice, follower of life. She seemed to want to stay by him as if she knew what he was going through. Even though he had little time to overlook at her training, he tried his best not to lose the chances he was given. Her acceleration was nearly perfect, the way she moved had changed and she could swing around her jo-hyou around easier every time. Every time she was better and better, and even though he couldn't show it, he was proud of her.

Then one day, there was so much work for him that he was getting a headache. He pushed aside the huge pile of papers in front of him at the end of the day and collapsed on his desk, his head in his arms. Even though the Shukaku had been extracted from him and he could sleep like normal people did, he still felt way tired in days like those. He felt his eyes close, his lids heavy, and he still had so much work to do! He wanted to go watch Matsuri's training too…

…Matsuri…What time was it, now that he thought of it? He shot a look at the clock on the opposite wall and…

00:30

Dammit. He felt cold sweat running down his spine. Not only had he done tons of work without even lifting his head all day, but that had been the reason for him to forget about his student. He was such an idiot…

Knock knock.

"Sensei?"

Her soundless voice echoed in his mind and rolled on his outstretched nerves like remedy.

"Sensei, are you still in there?" her words repeated, and she opened the door, stepping in. It was kind of dark in there, and it took her a little time to spot him, but in the end she did and walked up to his filled with paper piles desk.

"Matsuri…What are you doing out so late?"

"You didn't come to my training and I got worried about you, sensei." She said with honesty. Beads of sweat were shining near her lids, adorning her forehead. A scratch near her lips. Bruised knees and forearms. She had given her all in the effort and he wasn't there to see. He felt a twitch in his heart, and stood up. "Sensei?"

"You're bleeding". He said, grabbing a tissue from the box on his desk, and came close to her, passing it over the scratch next to her lips. "How did you hurt yourself there?"

"I tripped over the arrow of my jo-hyou and fell." She whispered as his fingers pressed the tissue slightly and cleaned the wound.

"You're still clumsy, but you're doing really great. I'm sorry I missed your training today." He said, wiping away the small drops of sweat from her forehead too. "Aren't you tired?"

"Well…" Matsuri had started to feel uncomfortable; the close proximity brought her to blush and take a step back. "…I may be, just a little, after all." She whispered.

"What?" Gaara asked, when she shivered. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just a little cold. The temperature is low at night and I've never before stayed out so late…I'm just not used to it." She said with a smile.

"I'll take you home." Gaara said and passed his arm around her shoulders. "I don't want to leave you alone out there; it's dangerous."

Matsuri's eyes widened as he dragged her out with him, and took the road to her house.

"Sensei, you don't have to do this…I'm a big girl now."

"Still younger than me."

"But, sensei-"

"Close your mouth, baka seito." He uttered, surprising both himself and Matsuri. He stopped dead on his tracks and slapped his forehead; right outside her house. "Matsuri…"

"Ano…Koko no desu, sensei." Gaara felt her hand twitch in his, as If she were eager to leave him.

"Is someone inside that you don't want to see us together?" he asked but Matsuri shook her head in a negative answer. He felt his heart lighten in relief; what was this feeling?

"Sensei, you can go now, watashi wa daijobou desu. Honto ni, sensei-"

"Matsuri, I think we're both old enough to use this term…Just call me by my name and let the keigo aside, as I do." Gaara said.

"B…But you're older than me."

"By just one year."

"And son of a Kage…"

"A dead one."

"And you're the Kazekage."

"I didn't choose to."

"And I'm just a poor girl."

"Who cares?"

"It's already too much that you've done for me."

"Don't talk like that."

"The least I can do is respect you."

"Matsuri…"

"I'm only dust on the road, compared to you."

"Matsuri."

"I'm just a shadow."

"Matsuri."

"I'm just wind."

"Matsuri!"

"Just wind…"

Gaara grabbed her from the shoulders.

"Look at me. Look at me!"

"Sensei…" Matsuri said; her eyes watering/ His hands on her shoulders felt warm, reassuring, yet the look in his eyes frightened her.

"It's not true."

"What isn't?"

"That you're like what you say."

"But I am!" I'm lonely and alone, I'm exactly like wind!" she said and felt her tears blurring her vision, stream down her face and fall. "I'm a shadow in time, a wind in place…"

Gaara leaned over her head and looked at her, deep in the eyes.

"Then I will be a friend for this kaze…" he said, and kissed her forehead tenderly, wiping her tears with his fingertips.

"G…Gaara…" she whispered and grabbed his shirt, tightly holding on to him as he embraced her.

"I'm here. I'm here Matsuri. I know what you've been through. I won't leave you."

"I've loved you…I love you, Gaara…I've loved you from the first day you tried to make a Suna Academy…I've loved you from back when you were just a little child, with that teddy bear…"

Gaara's pupils widened. Had she really been watching over him all these years? Her love was deep; she had dragged his attention and she had gained his love too. She deserved to be loved, she deserved his love and he was more than willing to give it to her. He made a silent contract with himself and lifted her chin; leaned down and kissed her, sealing the contract and locking his love for her in his heart forever.

**Just a few words to say with this, a few completely irrelevant, and minna-san pay a little bit of attention...Does anyone of you know Clannad? And more, has anyone of you watched all the episodes that are out, and the movie too? SPOILERS from now on-> Is it just in my nature -being a girl- that I cried? And when I say cried I really cried cried, cried like I haven't cried for quite a long time. It just...Nagisa didn't deserve such a death! Sorry if I'm spoiling anything but...Tomoya really seemed happy when he asked Nagisa out, why did she have to die just three years after they finally got to be together! Why?**

**I just feel horribly crappy right now, so...It's not a good thing, some may say, to be so obsessed over an anime or a certain thing, whatever that is but...That's just the way I am, I guess...**


	8. Okonomiyaki?

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Theme:** # 12 – In a Good Mood

**Pairing:** Sabaku no Gaara x Matsuri

**Title:** Okonomiyaki?

**Rating: **K+

**Summary:** "You're so convincing…Come on, let's go for lunch. My treat." He said. "I want okonomiyaki!" the girl said, hands behind her back.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

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"Stretch."

Ching!

"Behind you."

Ching!

"Faster."

Sweat drop.

"Above."

"Hyaaaah!"

"Below! Now!"

"You damn!"

Crimson droplets on the sand. Matsuri hit the ground hart, on her knees but not so beaten up like all the previous times. No, not this time. She supported herself on her arms and got up, picking up her jou-hyou. Gaara wasn't looking at her anymore, but right up to the sky. The sun was right in the middle of it.

"Oooi! Sensei!" Matsuri shouted, catching up her breath. "Can we stop for now? I'm hungry!"

"You do that every day!..."

"Well, I don't think a person that doesn't get hungry at this hour exists."

"…" Somehow, Gaara couldn't find an answer for that. He just grabbed her forehead and patted her at the back of her head. "You're so convincing…Let's go. My treat." He said, and Matsuri, even though she was exhausted, jumped in the air happily.

"I want okonomiyaki!" she said, hands behind her back.

"Okonomiyaki huh? You've got such a commoner's taste, Matsuri."

"Okonomiyaki is fine, isn't it? I am a commoner after all. What did you expect me to like and eat, caviar?"

"Well no, but you could like sukiyaki, onigiri, miso, or at least soba!"

"Hey, just because I don't want to eat that kind of food outside it doesn't mean that I don't like it or I don't cook it myself at home! I'm just thinking of how much preparation it might take and if you want to know, sukiyaki's my favorite!"

"I don't believe it! It's the most expensive around here; either you make it at home or go eat it out…And takes most time to prepare! You sure you didn't say it on purpose?" Gaara asked. If his brows were visible, they'd have disappeared in the roots of his hair.

"Of course not. Oh, and If we're going to have a dessert, I want sakura moichi."

"…For a girl, you don't have such a weird taste."

"And how would you, Gaara-sensei know what girls like?"

"Temari's my sister. That much is enough."

"Eeeeh? Isn't Temari-san more…man-like?"

"Only in the outside, trust me."

"Hai, hai…Oh, we're here!" she stopped walking out of the restaurant and got inside. "Ojisan! Table for two!"

"Matsuri-chan, here again? Oh…Kazekage-sama!"

"What?"

"The Kazekage's among us!"

"Gaara-sama!"

"Kazekage-dono!"

"Hey, hey, calm down! He's just here to eat, y' know? Just let the man in peace, you people!" Matsuri yelled and grabbed Gaara's hand, trotting to their table. She sat down and crossed her arms, mumbling "dame, dame, dame", shaking her head lightly with her eyes closed.

"…'dono'?" Gaara thought. "Come to think of it, no one has ever addressed me so…"

"Gaara-sensei." Matsuri shook her palm in front of his face. "Hey, anyone here?"

"Eh, of course yes! You're so mean!"

"Where were you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You were traveling."

"Huh?"

"Mentally."

"I still don't get you."

"Oh, forget it. Let's just eat, ne?"

"Whatever…"

"Here's your order, Matsuri-chan. As always, no meat but cheese, right?"

"Right Ojisan, thank you!"

"Want me to prepare it for you?"

"No, no, I'll do it myself!" Matsuri said and spilled the batter mixture on the teppan , after mixing it up in the bowls. Gaara looked at her; her movements as she prepared their meal quickly, almost like a professional. She formed the mix of both bowls to circles like pancakes and watched them as they were getting fried. When they were ready, she removed them from the hotplate and placed one on his plate, and one on hers, and cut them to pieces so that they'd cool off faster.

"Here you go, Gaara-sensei. Is all yours." She said and begun eating her own piece. "Oh, it's hot!"

Gaara looked at the eight pieces Matsuri had cut his okonomiyaki into; they didn't look like anything special, but he picked up his chopsticks and brought one to his mouth.

Wah.

"Eh..! Umai!" he said, surprised and looked at her. "It's great!"

"Really? Thank you." She said with a big smile. "If you want, I can cook it myself too." Matsuri said after swallowing her bite.

"I want." Gaara replied calmly.

"Eh?" Matsuri blinked.

"I said that I want you to cook this for me sometime." Gaara said.

"Eh…Yeah, sure, if we got time after the training…Why not?"

"You're blushing."

"Ah, that...eh…"

"Could it be…That you haven't cooked okonomiyaki for someone else before?" Gaara asked.

"…Kinda…But, but, I just want it to be good enough for Gaara-sensei…" Matsuri's voice faded as she spoke, until her words weren't audible anymore.

"Matsuri…"

"Y-yes?"

"You don't have to make it perfect because I'll be eating it. Cook it as you'd do it for yourself."

"You…Are you sure you trust my cooking skills, Gaara-sensei?"

"Definitely."

"Gaara-sensei.."

"Hm?"

"You've gotten really close, you know…"

"So?"

"Emm…I…"

"Oh, won't you ever stop?" Gaara asked.

"I'm sorry?!"

"I said stop…" he answered and embraced her shoulders with his one arm. "Or I will"

"G…Gaa-"

But she couldn't continue. Gaara leaned over and kissed her, sealing her lips and leaving her no chance to say more. In a second, all her self-control crumbled and all she could think of was what he was doing. She closed her eyes and didn't even try to think of pulling away; she kissed him back and smiled.

He didn't even seem to remember where they were.

It was good.

If he had started to forget the presence of other people around him when doing something so personal like this, he was sure getting better.

He'd regain his communicative skills in time.

Matsuri would be there to help him.

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**Hey minna-san! SORRY for all this WAIT! I've been really busy with school, and my exams this year were somehow important, so I had given up on writing (unfortunately, but...) for a while. Here's the new one and omatase'**

**If you got any questions for the japanese in text, or the food and stuff, PM me, or leave your question along with your review. Ne?**


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